Fraternitas
by petite-dreamer
Summary: Two rivals both lose the most precious person in their life, but their shared grief may be the key to a new beginning. Mentions of Sonic/Amy and Shadow/Amy.


Sonic's quills swayed in the cold October wind. Clouds filled the sky, and the whole world seemed grey. Barren branches clacked together above him, while dry brown leaves crunched underfoot. Never before had he walked so slowly – heck, he never walked at all. His reluctance was a result of his grim destination:

Amy's grave.

Of all the times she had been endangered, it was the one he could do nothing about that had stolen her away. An Eggman attack? He could handle it, no sweat. Some stray injury from another one of her escapades? No problem. But the disease – it had come on too suddenly…

_She only had a headache at first. At Rouge's suggestion, she took a nap, only to wake up with a fever. He had made some soup for her – the canned kind, but she appreciated the gesture nevertheless. She spent the afternoon on the couch, resting. The headache was still present, and had actually worsened. She had called it a migrane, requested the lights stay off. Only when she mentioned her stiff neck did Tails finally realized what was going on. They'd rushed her to the hospital, Tails explaining on the way the aggressiveness of this Earth disease called meningitis. At first she responded well to the medication the doctors gave her. But then there was a complication – Sonic still wasn't sure what had happened; the explanations were riddled with indecipherable medical lingo. The only sound he could remember was that shrill, unchanging tone from the heart monitor…_

Sonic wiped his damp eyes and realized he was at the burial grounds. Markers stretched in every direction, some weathered by centuries of the elements, others still adorned with fresh flowers. He looked down at the flora that he had brought. He had never heard of blue roses before this morning. The florist was a strong believer in the language of flowers – each selection had a placard nearby indicating the meaning. The cobalt blooms, he'd learned, signified "attaining the impossible". Sonic thought they represented his wish well – he would have done anything for the impossibility of bringing her back.

He vaguely remembered Amy's plot was in the back of the graveyard. He walked even slower than before, replaying every memory of her he could – stopping short when he saw another figure standing before the simple memorial. The onyx-colored creature stood with head bowed, a single black rose held in his gloved hands. Sonic wondered if he too had chosen his gift for its meaning – in this case, "farewell". The other hedgehog raised his head at Sonic's approach. "Hello, faker." Spoken without any of his usual scorn.

"Hey." No more needed to be said. They both knew why they were there. Shadow directed his attention back to the stone monument before him. It was pink granite, chiseled with the words 'Amelia Rose, 1993-2008', followed by a Latin phrase: '_Omnia vincit Amor'_. The only other adornment stretched across the bottom edge of the stone – a single rosebud. He leaned down to place his own flower at its base, recalling the funeral a few days earlier.

_He'd seen the announcement in the obituaries. Somehow he doubted the others would appreciate his presence, but for him it was not a matter of choice. Standing in the shadows of the oaks that shaded the departed, he observed the graveside service from a distance. The casket was open – the disease had been gracious enough to not mar her youthful beauty. Sonic delivered the eulogy, a touching picture of Amy's innocence and devotion. Even Knuckles shed a few tears, although his face stayed stoic. At the end of the service, everyone began to leave reluctantly. Shadow felt a unexpected hand on his shoulder, belonging to Rouge. No words were needed. Hesitantly, Rouge embraced him, her mascara-stained cheek resting on his ebony shoulder. Although he did not return the gesture, he still felt comforted by it. Then she left, leaving only himself and the emptiness…_

Sonic turned his head, as if listening. "Strange, isn't it?" Shadow raised an eyebrow questioningly. "The silence. She was so _alive_ – I can still hear her laugh sometimes."

"Like a child", Shadow reflected. _Like Maria_, he thought.

"I miss her caring heart…"

"Her smile…"

"Her hammer." The last line was spoken in unison, prompting a short laugh from Sonic and a smirk from Shadow.

Sonic shuffled his foot. "Look, about last time…"

Shadow frowned. No doubt Sonic was referring to the incident from a couple weeks ago.

_Sonic had finally made up his mind to tell Amy that her feelings were not unrequited. Unfortunately, Shadow also chose that same day to declare his love for her. This unforeseen complication in their rivalry sparked yet another heated battle, until said pink hedgehog stepped in._

"_STOP! Stop it right now, both of you! I will _not_ be the reason for either of you getting hurt! Now look here. If there's going to be a decision made, it will be because _I_ made it, and not because someone got killed."_

_The two males turned to her expectantly. Amy shook her head solemnly. "You can't expect me to make up my mind right this second. I care about _both_ of you. A lot. I need time." Her voice drifted back to them as she walked off. "You'll know when I've chosen…"_

"Consider it forgotten, faker."

Sonic sighed as he bent to place his bouquet next to Shadow's. "I guess we'll never know who she would have picked."

Shadow reflected on this for a moment. "I would rather see her alive and with you."

"Funny." Sonic looked up with a sad smile. "I feel the same way about her and you."

The two hedgehogs left together, but not before looking back at the memorial one more time. Sonic had to grin when Shadow translated the Latin.

_Omnia vincit Amor - _"Love conquers all."

* * *

_Latin quote by Virgil._


End file.
